SaMedia, Dec. 9—Google has unveiled Willow, its latest quantum computing chip, which promises to solve problems in minutes that would take the world’s fastest supercomputers millions of years. This breakthrough highlights quantum computing’s potential to transform the computational landscape.
“With Willow, we’re not just pushing the boundaries of computation,” said Hartmut Neven, Google’s Head of Quantum Artificial Intelligence. “We’re laying the foundation for large-scale, practical quantum computers that can solve real-world problems.”
Willow builds on Google’s 2019 quantum supremacy milestone. Back then, their quantum computer completed a benchmark task in 200 seconds—a task that would take a classical supercomputer 10,000 years. In 2024, Willow repeated this experiment and delivered an even more astonishing result: solving problems that would take classical computers multiple light years.
Despite the excitement, experts caution that Willow remains an experimental device. Practical, universally useful quantum computers are still years, if not decades, away. “The race to practical quantum computing isn’t just between quantum and classical computers—it’s also a race against noise,” said theoretical physicist John Preskill.
Quantum processors are prone to errors due to the delicate nature of qubits, the fundamental units of quantum information. Google often runs computations millions of times to extract usable results.
Key to Willow’s success is Neven’s Law, which describes a double exponential increase in quantum computational power over time. As qubits improve in quality and error rates decrease, computational cost grows exponentially. Currently, Willow excels in specific tasks like random circuit sampling—benchmarks, not practical applications.
“Random circuit sampling isn’t solving real-world problems,” admitted Sergio Boixo, Google’s Chief Quantum Scientist. “But if you can’t outperform classical computers here, you won’t win with other algorithms either.”
Google aims to direct Willow’s computational power toward meaningful tasks, such as simulating complex quantum systems or discovering new materials. The company’s roadmap to a commercial quantum computer outlines six milestones, with Willow marking the approach to the third.
Google’s goal is a machine with a thousand logical qubits—requiring about a million physical qubits. Achieving this will take billions of dollars and further breakthroughs in error correction and qubit stability.
“We’re tracking progress faster than expected,” Neven said. “I believe early commercial applications could be just five years away, rather than multiple decades.”
Willow represents a monumental achievement in the quest for computational power. It exemplifies quantum computing’s potential to revolutionize industries such as drug discovery, material science, and cryptography.
“The hardware is ready to advance science in ways we’ve never seen before,” Preskill remarked. “We’re entering an era where quantum systems can explore regimes beyond classical reach.”
